World Sickle Cell Disease Day

Today is World Sickle Cell Disease. The inherited red blood cell disease is also known as Sickle Cell Anemia.

The normal red blood cell is a rounded, disc shaped cell. The shape of the abnormal red blood cell in Sickle Cell Disease is crescent shaped or “c” shaped. Some people used the term sickle when referring to the shape. Hence the name sickle cell.

The sickle shaped cells live a lot less time than normal red blood cells. Sickle cells live 10-20 days versus the normal 90-120 days. Your body may not be able to keep up with the demand for red blood cells thus you get a condition called anemia.

SCD is an inherited disease. If you have one of the gene from one parent you have a “sickle cell trait”. If you inherit a gene from both parents you have S

ickle Cell Disease.

In the U.S. the most affected population is the African American.

For more information go to

medlineplus.gov/sicklecelldisease.html